E-Malt.com News article: USA, NE: Bottle Rocket Brewing Company ready to launch in Seward County on October 23

A new business in Seward is about to open. Bottle Rocket Brewing Company is the first local craft beer joint in Seward County, 1011now reported on August 24.

The company is restoring a building built in the 1940s. It's gone from a grain mill, to a floral show and now a brewery. The owners happen to be making beer out of the same type of seeds and grains that were originally stored in the building, embracing Seward's history while also creating its own.

The "Bottle Rocket Boys" said it was love at first beer. The idea for the brewery started in January 2014, when President Gerald Homp left the corporate world for the hoppy one.

Homp and his business partner, Jason Berry, make up the brains of the operation, but they needed a master brewer. Together, they've spent more than a year trying to revive the history of the old grain mill while incorporating their new machines and brewery needs.

"You literally have come full circle from [the grain mill], Master Brewer Ryan Koch said.”You know, we've still got the storage bins. Most people have these big silos outside their building. You know, we've got old, wooden, historical structures that could potentially be used."

"We got this historical building and what better way to fill it than with historical items from the town," Berry said.

It's no coincidence the logo for Bottle Rocket Brewing Company is red, white and blue. It was designed after the Fourth of July city to symbolize what Seward stands for.

With a liquor license, new equipment and two months until the grand opening, the beer is brewing and excitement overflowing.

"We've been chasing this for a year now," Koch said. "It's finally starting to happen so we're just thrilled."

Bottle Rocket Brewing Company's grand opening is set for October 23, 2015.


26 August, 2015